The High Court on Thursday acquitted a former policeman of all charges after years of appeals following his conviction for the 1998 death of a fellow policeman in Kinmen and attempted armed robbery in 2000.
In the final appeal, the Kinmen branch of the High Court overturned a life sentence handed down by the Kinmen District Court to Yeh Wei-hui (葉維輝) in July 2005, who was a policeman at the time.
Officer Tsao Yi-kuo (曹義國) was found dead with two bullet wounds to the head in a forested area in Kinmen on Oct. 1, 1998, three days after he disappeared while on duty at the front gate of a Kinmen police station.
When Tsao’s body was found, his pistol and ammunition belt were missing.
Yeh was arrested in May 2011 on charges of intimidation and extortion after quitting the police force on April 1.
He was later charged with involvement in Tsao’s murder and an attempted bank heist, as well as illegal possession of firearms.
Kinmen prosecutors charged Yeh with murder and attempted robbery based on evidence collected by investigators and on the testimony of several witnesses.
After several trials, the Kinmen District Court found him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
However, after a lengthy appeals process, the High Court acquitted Yeh, citing inadequate evidence and testimony.
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